Improvement in ice-machines



S.- B.'MAR.'1-IN.

ICE-MACHINE.

Patented Fe'b 8,1876.

vertical sectional elevation of the same 5' Fig.

Unrrnn STATES PATENT rrron.

IMPROVEMENT'IN ICE-MACHINES.

Specification forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 173,3 1 5, dated February 8, 1876; application filed April 22, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented an Improvement in Machines for h/Ianufacturin g Ice and for refrigerating purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters marked thereon. This invention relates particularly to the congealer or freezingapparatus of that class of ice-machines in which the evaporization of the volatile liquid is employed to abstract heat from the freezing-plate, which is in direct c011- tact with the water to be frozen; and it consists mainly, first, in causing the freezing agent and the agent employed to detach the ice to flow alternately through independent passages or channel-ways in a congealer or hollow freezing-plate; second, in the employment of an independent passage-way in the freezing-plate, adapted to permit the flow of water of a suitable temperature for detaching the ice; and, third, the combination of the following elements in an ice-machine: a hollow plate adapted to permit the formation of ice upon its sides, an internal pipe or system of pipes adapted to 'contain the freezing agent, and an independent channel-way within the freezing-plate, adapted to permit the flow of water'to detach the ice. It consists, further, in certain details of construction, which, in connection with the foregoing, will be fully describedhereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my invention; Fig. 2, a partial plan view of the freezing-plates; Fig. 3, a

4, a transverse elevation of the two-way cock, and Fig. 5 a side elevation of the water-tubes.

To enable others to use my improved processes and the apparatus for carrying them out, I will proceed fully to describe the same.

A represents a hollow freezing-plate, pref erably cylindrical in form, which 'is constructed of any proper material and suitably held upon any supporting-base. B, Fig. 3, represents a pipe coiled within the congealer or hollow freezing-plate, with an intervening space, D, between the divisions of the coil, as shown.

B. MARTIN, of

0 represents a connecting-pipe, uniting the upper end of the coiled'pipe B to the two-way cock D; and O, a similar pipe, uniting the lower end of pipe B to the same two-way cock. This two-way cock is represented in transverse section in Fig. 4:.

O 0 represent the pipes united to the upper and lower ends of the pipe B, coiled within the freezing-plate. g represents the connecting-pipe, extending to a receiver containing the volatile or vaporizing liquid. (1 represents a pipe connecting with the two-way cock, which is adapted to control the flow of the volatile liquid to the next congealer in the series, if a number are employed in connec tion with each other. 0 represents an internal passage bored in a wall of the cock, which is adapted to connect the pipe 0 with the pipe d when the cock is in the position shown in the drawing. b represents a right-angled passage in the cock, adapted to connect the pipe 9 with the pipe G when the cock is in the position shown. When the cock is turned about a quarl'er-revolution in the proper direction, communication with the pipes O G is cut off, and direct connection is made between the pipes g and d. E represents an inlet-pipe, through which water of a suitable temperature' is introduced into the space or channelway between the coils of pipe B, the same being discharged through the pipe F, Fig. 1.

G represents a central post, adapted to revolve by means of the belt and pulley, as shown in Fig. 1. H represents a pipe attached to the revolving post G, and adapted in any suitable manner to receive a continuous supply of water, which is'provided at its lower extremity with an inverted U-shaped pipe, having independent cocks h h, as shown, the arms of the pipe being adapted to discharge water upon each side of the cylindrical freezing-plate. K K represent flat metallic tubes,

united at their upper ends by a strap or crosspiece, which are adapted to rest upon the cylindrical freezing-plate, as shown in Fig. 1.

It is designed to 'employ a number of these congealers in a single machine, each congealer being independent of the others, while constituting a part of the same machine. In this case the volatile or vaporizing liquid is passed successively through the congealers, the machine being so operated that vaporization is effected after passing through the last congealer and reaching the compressing-pump.

The connecting-pipe is enlarged in diameter from each succeeding congealer in the series,

in order that the expansion of the liquid, as

heat is abstracted therefrom, and water being sprayed upon its sides, the same is formed in to ice. When this becomes of sufficient thickness the flow of volatile liquid is temporarily out oif from the main pipe 1 by a cock, (not shown,) and the compressing-pump being continued in operation, the volatile liquid is Withdrawn from the coils of pipe B. When this is accomplished the two-way cock D is turned in such manner as to close communication with the pipes (J O, and open communication with the pipes g and d. The cock in the main pipe 9 may now be open, when all the congealers of the series may be in active operation, excepting the one cut off by the cock D. v

To detach the ice, water of a suitable temperature is permitted to flow into the pipe E through the space or channel-ways D, between the coils of pipe B, and out at F, by which means the temperature of the plates is raised sufficiently to permit the ,ice to be removed.

For the purpose of dividing the ice the flat tubes K K are also filled with water of a suitable temperature, by which means their temperature is raised sutficiently to permit them to be removed, and by the insertion of an iron bar in the space occupied by them the ice is readily separated.

Some of the advantages of the described construction are as follows: By the employment in the freezing-plate of two independent passages, the operation of freezing and detaching can be carried on alternately without injuriously affecting the freezing agent when the ice is being detached, it being simply withdrawn without being heated by the operation, as is sometimes done. By the employment of independent passages for the detaching agent it is not necessary to admit the water into the pipes containing the volatile liquid, so that the difficulty of removing again the moisture after using these pipes for the detaching agent is entirely avoided, and the manufacture of the ice is, consequently, much facilitated. By the employn'ient of the spraying apparatus with the inverted lJ-shaped arms and the independent regulating-cocks, the discharge of water'to any particular part can be regulated. By means of the two-way cock and the connecting-pipes, one congealer of the series may be out 01f without interfering with the operation of the others.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In the manufacture of ice, I claim the method described, consisting essentially in causing the freezing agent and the detaching agent to flow alternately through independent passages or channel-ways in a hollow freezingplate, substantially as described.

2. In an ice-machine, thecombination ofthe following elements: first, a hollow plate to permit the formation of ice upon its sides; second, an internal pipe or system of pipes, to contain the freezing agent; third, an independent channel-way within the freezing-plate, to permit the flow of water to detach the ice, all substantially as described.

3. The congealer described, consisting of cylinder A, the internal pipes B, and the independent spaces or channels D within the cylinder, having suitable inlet and outlet openings, the apparatus as a whole being adapted to permit the freezing agent and detaching agent to be used alternately, but independently of each other, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the two-way cock described with the permanent pipes 91 d C G, the cock having the permanent passage 0 and the revolving passages a b, as described.

5. A series of congealers, substantially'as described, and a distributing-pipe uniting the congealers, the diameter ofwhich increases with each successive congealer, substantially v as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set .my hand and seal.

SAML. B. MARTIN. [L.

Witnesses:

- G. W. M. SMITH,

E. PATTEN. 

